Minneapolis Teen Receives Pulitzer Prize For Recording George Floyd’s Death

The boy who filmed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board on Friday, sparking a summer of rallies against systematic racism and police violence.

Darnella Frazier’s video and courtroom evidence were crucial in the conviction of Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, for killing George Floyd outside of Cup Foods on May 25, 2020.

Frazier was 17 when she went to the convenience store with her cousin on that tragic day and saw policemen on top of Floyd.

As Floyd groaned and begged for his life, she was one of the numerous spectators who pleaded with Chauvin and other cops. Frazier had the foresight to pull out her iPhone and capture the incident as the police kept her and the other witnesses at a safe distance.

At trial, a weeping Frazier expressed sadness that she couldn’t do more to prevent Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd’s neck.

“I’ve stayed up nights regretting and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically connecting with him and not saving his life,” Frazier, who turned 18 in March, said.

“But,” Frazier said, “it’s not what I should have done.” “That’s exactly what he (Chauvin) should’ve done.”

The Pulitzer Prize for journalism has been awarded since 1917 and is considered the highest prize in the industry.